


Howl At The Night

by Iron_Eirlyssa (Eirlyssa)



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Arc Reactor Issues, Beta Natasha Romanov, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Omega Tony Stark, Werewolves, Winteriron Holiday Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-09-28 03:50:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17175308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eirlyssa/pseuds/Iron_Eirlyssa
Summary: Having escaped from their kidnappers, Bucky and Tony have to find a way to get home. Unfortunately, Tony isn't doing very well.





	Howl At The Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [beir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beir/gifts).



> For the wonderful beir - I really hope you enjoy this!!
> 
> For everyone else who reads this - I really hope you enjoy it as well!!!

If Bucky had gone ahead by himself, he might have been able to find someone that would be able to help out, or at least someone that could have called for help. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave Tony on his own, especially considering the state he was in.

One of the few ways to keep an Omega from being able to go into a feral rage was to keep them weak. Bucky knew it had been the only reason the Ten Rings had been able to keep his… not his mate, not yet, but his love, for as long as they had. These men had clearly been trying for the same, and in the end had been about as successful as anyone trying to kidnap Tony. That is to say, things had ended in explosions, but Tony wasn’t alright either.

Aside from the fever and the bruises, something was wrong with his arc reactor. Bucky couldn’t quite tell what it was, and he wasn’t sure if it needed help or not. Part of him wanted to run so they would be able to get help as quickly as possible. Another part was terrified that, the moment he turned his back, he’d never see Tony again.

He’d found the both of them a cave, well-sheltered, and was now gathering firewood. Once he was done with that, he’d go out again to see if he could get his… Tony some water, perhaps something to eat. Both of them had been starved, their kidnappers attempting to keep them as weak as possible until they could get what they wanted. Which they hadn’t, of course, because Tony would die before giving into any kidnapper, and Bucky had experienced HYDRA. Cruel though these men had been, they hadn’t even come close to the horrors he had experienced before finally being freed. Two weeks wasn’t nearly enough to get anything out of either of them.

Tony had been the one to argue for staying where they were, actually. He’d pointed out that they had no idea where the closest living person was, or what they would be like.

When he returned to the cave, Tony wasn’t doing much better. He was sweating and shivering, wrapped up in the one blanket Bucky had brought from wherever they had been held captive, and his skin was pale except for the red of his fevered cheeks.

“Tony, sweetheart?” There had to be _something_ he could do to help.

There was a bit of mumbling, before Tony’s gorgeous eyes slowly slid open. “Hmmm… Bucky?”

“I’m here, doll,” he assured. “I’m working on getting a fire started, before it gets dark and cold, and then I’ll go out to look for something to eat. Anything I can do for you?”

Amber eyes considered him. There was something _more_ to it, but nothing Bucky could quite put a finger on. Then, Tony sighed. “Need water first. Thirsty.” It astonished Bucky that he’d admit it, considering he was always so intent on providing for himself. He’d wondered if it was a wolf thing, considering as an ‘artificial’ werewolf he didn’t have the same background as born wolves had. Some habits and traditions simply didn’t come as naturally to him.

Taking care of the man he hoped would one day agree to be his mate was one of the things that felt as natural as breathing, however, and he was glad to be able to be of some service.

So he ran to find water, and hollowed out a piece of tree with his hands and a rock to be able to carry the water back to Tony, who sipped it gratefully. He was still far from alright, but it did seem to help him some. “Thank you,” he told Bucky softly.

“Always,” Bucky swore in return. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Tony.

Unfortunately, the next morning his love was doing even worse. Even with the water and the rabbits that Bucky had caught, Tony was feverish and shaking. That might have been doable, even if it terrified him to pieces because he’d lived through a time where even a cold could be lethal, but then Bucky noticed the real problem - the reactor was flickering.

“Tony?” He tried to hide the panic in his voice, unsure of how successful he had been.

On the bright side, Tony was doing badly enough that he didn’t even seem to notice. Still, he did respond to Bucky’s voice. “You ‘kay?”

He laughed unsteadily. “I’m fine, but… Doll, it’s your reactor. I think something’s wrong.”

Leaning on trembling arms, Tony tried to sit up. Bucky rushed to help support him, worried he’d just fall over again considering how weak he was. With shaky fingers, he explored the reactor and the area around it, looking down the best he could. “Well, that’s not good,” he finally managed, laughing unsteadily.

“What’s going on?” Fortunately, he sounded a lot less panicked than he felt.

“Looks like…” Tony breathed in unsteadily, which didn’t do good things for Bucky’s own heart. “Might be one of the wires inside… With all of the kidnapping and the torture and the shift, I think it might’ve been partially disconnected.”

That didn’t sound good. Considering the metal they both had attached to their bodies, added without their consent, it was something they dared be open about to each other when they kept things hidden from everyone else. So Bucky knew exactly how much the reactor bothered Tony, how much it hurt with every shift, and he knew exactly how much he needed it to be healthy. Any moment the reactor wasn’t working was a moment the shrapnel in his chest could move and do more damage.

Unlike most other people, he knew exactly how much damage could be done inside of Tony’s body even without him dying of it. Every move of the shrapnel added another wound inside, and though most of them wouldn’t kill him, it was always a risk.

“I’m gonna need your help,” Tony told him, voice wobbly. Whatever color had been on his face, it had faded now.

Bucky steeled himself. “What do you need me to do?”

“I… I need you to… take it out. I’ll… I can point out the wire. You need to attach it securely. It’ll probably be partially loose. And then you need to put it back in. I’d… I would, but my hands…” He was shaking even worse now, and Bucky hurt for him. “I… You… My hands, they need to… I need you to tie them. So I can’t move.”

“What!?” He couldn’t do that. He _couldn’t_.

“I’m not clear on what’s… Everything’s vague, and weird, and I can’t think right. I might fight you, might try to interfere. That could kill me. I need…”

Oh, God, no. He couldn’t. There was no way he could tie up his intended mate, his Omega, his _Tony_ , to rip out his arc reactor and be the reason he fell straight into a flashback of one of the worst times in his life. “Tony, I can’t. Please, isn’t there another way?”

“I can’t…” Bucky didn’t think Tony realized there were tears on his face. “I just can’t _think_ , can’t think of another way. We need to repair it, and I might… If I break it, I’m not alright enough to put it back together.”

There were tears in his own eyes as he tied Tony’s wrists as gently as he could. He could feel the too-thin wrists shaking already, but when he looked Tony in the eye he still seemed clear enough to recognize it was Bucky with him. He _hated_ this. “Is there anything, anything at all, that I can do to make this easier?” he asked, hoping there was something he could do to help.

Unfortunately, Tony shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll be able to stay… clear. Not all the time. And I don’t want to associate good things with a flashback if I get one.”

As much as he hated it, that made sense. The last thing he wanted was for Tony to be remembering his trauma every time Bucky tried to comfort him. So he nodded, gritted his teeth, and opened Tony’s shirt enough that he could see the arc reactor in the middle of the heavy scarring.

Considering he needed Tony to be clear-headed enough to point out which wire he needed, he did start off talking. “Alright, I’m taking it out, only for a little. Only to repair it. You’ll be able to see me the entire time and I won’t do anything to it. It’s only for repairs, just that one wire and it’ll be back and you’ll be okay.” He kept rambling as he twisted, the sequence only Tony, Rhodey, Pepper, JARVIS and himself were familiar with. Tony’s breathing grew unsteady, and his eyes flickered from one side to the other, but they returned to Bucky and stayed there, so it wasn’t too bad yet.

“Alright, it’s out, just for a little. Which wire is it?” Bucky asked, holding it up in front of Tony.

Fever made it so he was slower than usual, and Bucky wasn’t sure if he was entirely in the moment anymore, but eventually he whispered “the red and blue striped one” and it was all he needed.

He kept silent now, hoping he would be quick enough to keep Tony from panicking, but the illness just about made it impossible. There was a gasp in front of him, before Tony started murmuring a soft litany of “nononononono”, tears streaming down his face as he pulled at his arms. Bucky wanted to throw up, but he couldn’t stop now, not unless he wanted Tony to die.

It took him far longer than he wanted to, the wiring delicate. He didn’t want to knock anything else out of order, and his fingers felt clumsy doing the fiddly work Tony was always so good with. Honestly, people underestimated the motor control Tony needed to manage all of his projects.

Swallowing, Bucky ignored when Tony’s gasps turned into bitten-off screams. There were still soft _no_ ’s interspersed between them, and he was starting to struggle. It forced Bucky to sit on his hips to make sure he didn’t roll over and hurt himself worse, but he couldn’t talk. Not if it would make Tony associate him with his trauma, not if it wouldn’t help Tony at all in the short or in the long run.

“Yes,” he hissed out, almost inaudibly, when he got the wire attached correctly. Without delay, he moved the reactor back into Tony’s chest, the blue light once again steady and comforting. Then he undid the bindings on Tony’s wrists, somewhat relieved to see that they hadn’t chafed. He wasn’t surprised that his hands immediately went to his chest, checking for the reactor and feeling around for anything wrong.

“You’re alright, sweetheart. It’s over, you’re okay,” he assured, hoping it would help some. Now that the actual repairing was done and the arc reactor back where it should be, Tony might be able to come out of it.

For some long minutes, he kept up a steady stream of reassuring words, not touching Tony for fear of worsening things again. Right now, Tony wasn’t clear enough to be able to give permission, and Bucky didn’t want to touch him without it. Not after what he’d just done, no matter how necessary.

Then, Tony gasped. “Bucky?” His voice was trembling, fear still in there, but at least he seemed to realize where he was again.

“I’m here, doll. I’m right here with you.” Tony’s eyes found his, glazed over and fevered but _recognizing him again_. “D’you want me to touch you, sweetheart? Or you wanna be left alone for a bit?”

It always depended on the flashback, for both of them, and they’d learned how to deal with them. Both of them preferred being able to be there for the other, but sometimes that wasn’t the most helpful in reality. So it was a relief to Bucky when Tony actually moved closer to him. “Hug please,” he entreated.

Immediately, Bucky put his arms around his love, breathing deeply to make his own trembling die down.

Even as Tony’s breathing calmed down, however, he could still feel the shakiness and the fever running through his smaller body. And as much as Bucky kept telling himself that, these days, colds were hardly ever lethal, he also knew Tony’s immune system was all messed up due to the arc reactor.

He wished it was close to the full moon. Aside from feral rages, it was the only moment a were could actually change, but the wolf body was sturdier than the human one. Hopefully, Tony’s earlier rage had boosted him enough that he’d get through this.

For the next two days, Bucky provided Tony with everything he needed as the fever burned through him. Most of his treks were for water, considering Tony couldn’t keep a lot in, but he had managed some cooked rabbit pieces that had helped put some strength back into his limbs - enough that he’d managed to stumble his own way to the place Bucky had designated their ‘toilet’ rather than having to be carried.

Then, on their fourth morning in the cave, Tony’s fever seemed to be mostly down. It was enough that he convinced Bucky that it would be a good idea to continue travelling to civilization so they could get back home to their friends and, perhaps most importantly, proper healthcare and medicine.

It was that part that convinced Bucky to move despite Tony’s continued weakness. “If you want to wait until I’m back to usual, we’d probably be waiting for a few more weeks at least,” Tony argued. “After what they did in there, as well as being sick, it’s gonna take a while to be back to full health. At least now I can move on my own, and I’m aware enough to be _thinking_ again. I want to get a move on before I end up getting ill again, which is still a possibility.”

As much as he disliked it, Tony did have a point. Even with Bucky’s body heat, the blanket, and the fire he’d managed to get going in the cave, it wasn’t the best environment for someone whose health was already fragile.

“Alright,” he conceded, “but please let me help you out if you need it?”

Even without being a born were, he knew better than to command an Omega to let him help out. They were fiercely independent - the fact that Tony had allowed Bucky to take care of him these past days was nearly a miracle already, and Bucky didn’t think he’d ever allowed anyone to do even half as much as this.

Once again, Tony looked at him consideringly, as if weighing his options. “I will.” As much as he’d hoped for the answer, Bucky was surprised. Perhaps this entire adventure had finally allowed him to prove to Tony that he’d be there to take care of him, as well as more than willing to. He really hoped so. Maybe this had made sure Tony knew he could count on Bucky to be there for him, and hopefully that would also allow him to lean on the Alpha a bit more.

At least it wasn’t the fact that he was an artificial werewolf, which Bucky had been worried about at first. He’d wondered if it was the fact that some weres didn’t regard him and Steve as ‘actual’ weres that had Tony keeping him at a distance.

But he’d seen the way the Omega interacted with both Rhodey and Pepper, who were both natural werewolves and Alphas as well, and he was the exact same with them. Even Natasha and Happy, who were Betas, didn’t get to come close to him when he was feeling vulnerable. So the fact that he had now allowed Bucky to provide for him _meant_ something, if only to Bucky himself.

“Thank you,” he responded sincerely, though he didn’t make much more of a deal of it. If he knew Tony at all (which he rather thought he did, thank you), that would only make him retreat and go back on what he’d said instead.

So instead he slowly walked by his love’s side, keeping a careful eye to make sure he didn’t stumble but letting Tony walk by himself.

It felt like a reward when, eventually, the Omega let out a sigh and admitted “I’m sorry, I’m not sure how much longer I can walk.” He was breathing rather heavily, paler than he’d been when they’d started out, and Bucky was honestly rather amazed he was still standing upright.

“Do you want me to carry you, or would you prefer it if I looked for shelter?” He knew what he would like best, but he wanted Tony to agree as well.

“Carry?” His voice sounded hesitant, and Bucky could see traces of a blush on Tony’s cheeks, which just about made him melt into a puddle of adoration. His love blushing was not a sight he was graced with frequently, and every single time it happened he just wanted to sigh and stare for however long he would be lucky enough for it to last. There was something surprisingly sweet about this strong, self-sufficient, shameless man being shy about something.

He _definitely_ knew better than to let onto that, though. So he just nodded and walked closer. “Anytime,” he assured Tony again, unable to resist pressing a soft kiss to that still-blushing cheek before carefully wrapping his arms around the smaller man.

“You’re liking this,” Tony accused, though fortunately he didn’t actually sound angry. When Bucky looked down, there was even the hint of a smile pulling at his lips.

“A little.” It was all he would admit to, even though both he and Tony very well knew he was loving this. One thing that had become _very_ clear throughout their relationship was the fact that the both of them loved being able to do something to help others. It wasn’t just each other, of course, though Bucky thought the fact that they were in love did make the urge a little more, well, urgent.

Tony just chuckled softly, resting his face against Bucky’s right shoulder in a show of trust. It had been tempting to put the slightly stronger, steadier metal arm underneath his back instead, but it was also harder and would probably press against Tony’s injuries uncomfortably.

Now that he had Tony in his arms, Bucky picked up the pace a little. The sooner they found a safe place, the sooner they’d be back in the Tower and among the people he’d instinctively come to think of as pack, even if most of them weren’t weres.

Instincts were still weird to him sometimes, especially since they’d hardly been present during the War and HYDRA had made sure to suppress them as much as possible. He was glad that both Tony and Natasha were willing to answer any questions he had, though even Natasha had been raised in counter to some of her instincts. At least she still knew about them, and she was now learning, almost alongside him, how to allow them a bit more freedom.

Steve was both lucky and unlucky in some ways. He’d gotten the full Alpha instincts with Project Rebirth, but at least he’d had the time selling war bonds to get used to them, as well as people around who were able and willing to explain things to him. From what Bucky had heard, Howard had been invaluable to him during that time.

Still, being an ‘artificial’ were meant that some things didn’t come as naturally to him and Bucky as they did to natural weres, which made things a bit more difficult when it came to getting used to instincts and unspoken rules.

Even now, Steve had admitted, there were things he didn’t know about being a werewolf that were apparently common to them. It was a good thing Tony didn’t judge them for it, even tried his best to help them learn about things, because Bucky had heard that whatever had happened during their first meeting would’ve been enough for most weres to instantly sever any connection.

“You still awake?” he asked. Tony’s breathing was soft and steady, his eyes closed.

They opened when he spoke, though. “Yeah, just resting. You’re comfy,” Tony grinned, one arm coming up to pat his chest and shoulder.

Bucky smiled in return. “Good. Wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable, after all.” Both of them knew Tony wasn’t comfortable, not really. There were too many injuries, and even with the fact that he’d shifted he didn’t heal as quickly as Bucky did. But joking around did far more to make him comfortable than worrying too much, and Bucky knew it was best to trust that Tony would alert him if anything was wrong. He had done so a few times by now, after all.

“Like a down blanket,” Tony assured him, amusement clear.

“One of those really expensive ethical ones you’ve got, I hope?” There were still no signs of any human presence, but Bucky kept a careful eye out anyway. Their kidnappers might all be dead, but they weren’t quite safe yet.

“Of course - they’re the only _real_ down blankets. The other ones barely qualify as plucked bird blankets.” He could hear that Tony was playing up the indignance in his voice.

Chuckling softly, he shook his head. “‘Plucked bird blankets’, huh?”

Tony huffed, a grin on his own face. “Quite so. I only get the _best_ , after all.” From the soft look in his eyes, Bucky wasn’t quite sure whether he was referring only to the blankets anymore. It was often the best way for Tony to get his feelings across, considering how much difficulty he had with it usually.

“As you deserve,” he replied, voice genuine and not referring only to blankets anymore at all.

Being unwell was making Tony a lot more emotionally vulnerable than he usually was. Another blush appeared, slight though it was, and the Omega looked away from Bucky and out into the forest. It was rare that such a simple compliment, if genuine, was enough to fluster him.

As the sun was starting to go down, Bucky started wondering if they would need to find another shelter for the night or whether they would be able to keep going until they found something. Rest would probably be better for Tony’s energy, but on the other hand, being in a safe environment with proper healthcare would be even better.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to choose in the end. They finally came across a road running through the forest that looked to be headed somewhere.

Neither of them was quite sure which way to go for the closest village or even house, but they ended up deciding to follow the road southeast instead of northwest, if only because ‘if anything, the south is supposed to be warmer’. It was as good a reason to make a decision as any, considering there were no signs anywhere close to them.

It was dark by the time they reached the small village, but being able to follow the road had given Bucky enough faith to keep going (as well as the steady ground allowing him to move faster than he had been before, where he’d been scared to trip over roots or loose branches).

There wasn’t a police station - apparently they were part of a bigger county’s office - but people were helpful enough once they’d explained that they’d been kidnapped. From the time they’d walked into the village to the time where the Avengers transport arrived to pick them up, barely more than an hour had passed (which also said something about how hard their friends had been looking for them).

Although Bucky wasn’t surprised that Tony walked onto the transport on his own two legs, he couldn’t deny being a little disappointed. It had been nice, having him allowing Bucky care for him the way he wanted to, and he really hoped that it wouldn’t be the last time.

By the time everything had settled down (and SHIELD had accepted the fact that Tony refused to give them a more complete debrief than ‘we got kidnapped, we freed ourselves, then we got to safety’ and Bucky stood by his decision) it was four days later and Tony was already refusing to stay in bed to rest. To be fair, he also looked a lot better than he had before, so Bucky wasn’t quite as worried as he could be.

Still, he did tell JARVIS to please keep an eye out and assure Tony that Bucky was there to help if needed.

Then, he resigned himself to spending some time with the others. His own wounds had practically been fully healed by the time they’d returned, and he’d been spending time with Tony the past days to keep him from getting _too_ bored of the bedrest the doctors had ‘encouraged’, so he had quite a bit of leftover energy that Steve and Thor were most happy to help him get rid of.

His thoughts kept returning to Tony, though. The past few days had been out of the ordinary, and they’d sure as hell never been kidnapped together before either, so it did make some sense for things to feel… different. Or for Tony to act differently, perhaps.

Where before he’d keep Bucky at a distance whenever he wasn’t feeling great, he now allowed the Alpha to come close and provide him with things. Bucky had no illusions he was needed more now than before - had he wanted to, Tony damn well could have done and gotten stuff himself the way he always had. But he seemed to want Bucky closer now, finally allowing him to show the care he’d wanted to every time. It wasn’t bad, just… odd.

Most likely, his wandering thoughts were the reason Steve nearly got a good hit in, which made his friend stop the fight immediately. “What’s up, Buck? I can tell your head’s not in it.”

The concern chafed some, especially because it felt like Steve constantly had to worry about him, but he knew it was well-intentioned. “Just… thinking about some things, you know?” He wasn’t sure it was anything Steve could help with, wasn’t even sure if it was anything that _needed_ help.

So when Steve offered, Bucky smiled and told him thanks, but no, there wasn’t anything he could help with. He just needed to think on some things.

It would probably be best to talk about it to Tony. Communication was important in a relationship, after all. But he was starting to think there was more to it all than he knew, especially when the Omega actually asked him if they could have a meal together in the evening, just the two of them, to ‘talk about some things’.

In the end, Bucky couldn’t stand the restlessness building inside of him, and he was too stuck in his thoughts to be able to focus on sparring. Something was going on, and he wasn’t sure about what it was. What was worse, he wasn’t even sure if it was something he _should_ know about.

Therefore, he went to see Natasha.

“Is something wrong?” It was a sensible question, especially when he asked if they could talk somewhere privately.

Only he wasn’t sure about the answer. “I don’t know. Something’s going on with Tony, and I’m not sure if it’s good or bad or if it has nothing to do with our relationship at all. I don’t know if there’s something I should be knowing right now, if there’s another were-thing I’ve missed out on, or if it’s just a regular thing that I’m not getting. I don’t know,” he finished, words about as stumbling as his thoughts.

Natasha was good at figuring out things, though. Both were-things and non-were-things. “Alright, so explain to me what happened and what makes you think something is going on.”

Bit by bit, he told her everything, starting with Tony’s odd behavior the past few days. When he did, she asked him to tell her about what had happened when the two of them were missing, which took a bit more effort (and her promise not to tell SHIELD, considering how much Tony had protested it).

By the time he’d finished, there was a look on her face he couldn’t quite define. Something between a frown and astonishment, maybe? At least the fact that there _was_ a look on her face in the first place meant that he’d been right about something going on.

“I’m not even sure where to start,” she told him. Bucky ended up needing to give her a few minutes to get her thoughts together before she continued. “Right. First of all, do you know why there are no Omega weres in the Army?”

“For… their protection?” It was what they’d been told, back in the 40’s. As someone who wasn’t a were himself, it had made some sense to Bucky - they also didn’t allow women in, after all. These days, with women in the Army as well as men, Omegas still weren’t allowed, however. And considering everything he had learned about them, that made a lot less sense to him now. Alphas might be stronger and bigger, but Omegas were the ones everyone was careful about, the biggest threats, and definitely ranking above Alphas.

“Yeah, they say that, and every single were in the world knows it’s a lie. Omegas don’t care about protection - they’ll fight if they feel they need to.” Bucky nodded. That was the impression he’d gotten, after all. “It’s because they could be a danger to their fellow soldiers as well.”

“Wait, why?” When not in a feral rage, Omegas were mostly known for the fact that they wanted to care for everyone around them, however the particular Omega interpreted caring.

Of course, when in a feral rage… “Most Omegas go their entire lives without going into a rage, because people are _very_ careful not to trigger one. Because when they go into a rage, the only ones around them that are guaranteed to be safe are their mate and their pups. It’s one of the reasons SHIELD was very hesitant about allowing Tony into the field - if he ended up going into a rage, which has an increased chance of happening because we deal with life-threatening situations, there was no way to be sure he wouldn’t attack us as well as the enemy, let alone innocent civilians.”

It made some sense. Bucky had seen Tony go into the rage, back in the facility, and it was more than obvious that he wasn’t thinking clearly. While usually, weres still had their usual brain capacity during a full moon change, a change sparked by the rage wasn’t the same.

“He didn’t hurt me at all, though?” he wondered. Maybe Tony had better control over it than other Omegas?

“Exactly,” Natasha nodded, as if she’d explained anything. Upon noticing the look on his face, she must’ve realized that he still had no idea what was going on, because she continued. “For a natural were, that’s pretty much him acknowledging you as his mate. Tony himself is very, very careful about not going into a rage, because he is just as aware as we are of the fact that he _can’t_ control himself then.”

That also explained why he’d held off as long as he had. It was only when both their lives were in direct danger, when they were about to kill Bucky, that he’d given in.

As the realization burned through him, he was startled to find that Natasha had more to tell him, still. “As for what happened after - an Omega allowing an Alpha to care for them is pretty much the were equivalent of marriage, and most often a prelude to a mating.”

“Wait.” Bucky wasn’t quite sure what to think, or even if he’d understood this correctly. It made no sense. “You’re saying that we’re basically… married, and engaged to be mated?”

Apparently. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“But we didn’t… There was no talking about it or anything. Shouldn’t we at least have talked about this? I mean, not that I’m unhappy about it, but this sounds like something I should’ve known?”

Happiness was warring with confusion. It was what he’d wanted, and he would’ve said yes in an instant, but he’d had no idea and that just didn’t feel right.

“I’m guessing this is what Tony wants to talk to you about tonight, now that he’s feeling a bit better,” Natasha assured him. “It’s a very ingrained were thing, so he might not even have realized you didn’t know. Some things just seem very… standard, to us, that you simply don’t know about.”

“If you say so,” was all he could manage. Bucky wasn’t sure what to think about any of it, if it was worse to think that Tony thought he had known and to wonder why Bucky hadn’t said anything, or if the idea that Tony knew he _didn’t_ know and still hadn’t mentioned it to him was the most disturbing of the two. Either way, something had gone very wrong, and Bucky had no idea what to do or say or think about it.

“Breathe,” came Natasha’s voice suddenly, startling him out of his thoughts. He realized at least part of the pain in his chest was him forgetting to breathe. “Easy, there. I don’t know everything either, let alone what goes around in Tony Stark’s head,” she told him, startling a laugh from him. “Just try not to assume anything - see him tonight, and listen to what he has to say, and you can always ask him why things went the way they did. Make sure to keep talking to him - we both know how quickly he can shut down when you go in there all angry and accusing.”

That was, of course, very true. If there was one thing Tony didn’t respond well to, it was people being angry with him. It was still easier said than done, but he did his best to keep calm. There were too many things he didn’t know right now.

By the time the evening rolled around, he was a mass of nerves, brain having gone over all of the possibilities multiple times and still no closer to an answer.

“You wanted to talk?” Bucky couldn’t wait to be done with dinner first, not if he had to pretend not to want to start asking all of the questions running around in his head, not if he had to pretend everything was fine.

“Ah, yes.” Tony looked away then, which wasn’t a good sign. “There is… are, some things that we should… talk about? Discuss? That should be mentioned, at least.”

It took all of his considerable self-control to remain still. Not even being a sniper, motionlessly waiting for hours until his target showed up, came anywhere close to this. But he wanted Tony to start talking, to start explaining what had happened and why he hadn’t said anything.

“Alright, so I’m just going to rush into this.” At least that was far more Tony’s usual approach to difficult topics than his previous hesitance. “We might be a little bit married. And engaged to be mated. At least according to werewolf customs. Which, really, considering they’re more unwritten rules than anything, we could probably ignore it all if you would prefer to. So, yeah. That.”

Bucky couldn’t tell exactly what emotion was in Tony’s voice at the moment, and he couldn’t focus enough to make it out more clearly. “Look, I talked to Natasha this afternoon,” he told Tony honestly, and he could see the resignation in the Omega’s face. “I just don’t understand any of it. Mostly why you didn’t say anything.”

The room was silent for a few long moments. Then, Tony sighed. Bucky could see his fingers twitching, anxious for something to fiddle with, and resisted the urge to hand Tony one of the puzzles lying around their room.

“I wasn’t… entirely sure whether you knew or not? I thought at first that you knew, with the taking care of me, but then once the fever went down and I’d had a good night’s sleep in our bed here, I realized you probably didn’t and that was really the way you always were, except now I allowed it, you know? So then I realized you probably didn’t know, because it’s one of those unwritten things and no one was actually likely to have told you that one, and instincts wouldn’t really tell you. And then, well…”

He shrugged, now, and Bucky frowned when he saw the self-depreciation on his face. “I got unsure. We have something good, something that works, but I’m not sure… I mean, I know you love me, really. But I’m not always the easiest to be with, and marriage is already a big commitment, even if it’s not the same as with not-weres, and then there’s mating and that’s _Big_ , you know? And this really wasn’t something that we planned this way, so - ”

Upon realizing where Tony’s thoughts had gone, exactly, Bucky cut him off instantly. “Yes,” was all he could think of at first.

All things considered, he couldn’t blame Tony for being confused. “... Yes?”

“Yes, it’s something I want. I want to be married to you, and mated to you, and be with you forever. This wasn’t the way I planned it, really - I had a proposal planned, and Pepper was supposed to help me out, but the point is that I had it _planned_ and I _want_ it and if you can keep sitting for a minute without panicking I can get the wrist cuff I got for you because Pepper told me weres get special made cuffs instead of rings and I wanted to get it right,” he ended up rambling, almost stumbling over his words.

Tony was looking at him, eyes wide and startled, and Bucky accidentally dropped his chair when he rushed to get up. “Don’t move, I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere, and don’t think.”

Then, he quickly headed into their bedroom, digging into the part of the closet designated as his for the box he’d had waiting there for over two months now, because he was a coward and he’d wanted it all to be perfect until he’d finally ended up asking Pepper to help out with the actual proposal as well, but then there had been kidnapping and it hadn’t gone at all the way he’d wanted it to.

One thought that lingered in the back of his mind as he pretty much sprinted back to the living room was that he hoped their actual marriage/mating would be a lot better, because if he’d been a superstitious man, this was not a very auspicious beginning.

Fortunately, Tony had actually listened to him at least partially and was still sitting in his chair, staring wide-eyed at the door.

His knees cracked as they hit the floor in front of Tony, but he paid no attention to them. They weren’t even half as important as this. Instead, his entire focus was on Tony’s face as he opened the box to reveal the cuff that he’d picked out - where his arm was silver with some newly added gold accents, and where Tony’s suit was red and gold, he’d gone for a full-gold cuff that would match Tony’s skin gorgeously, accented with geometric red and silver lines that he’d taken great care to make sure they wouldn’t look too gaudy, instead bringing out the gold.

Those gorgeous brown eyes filled with tears, but Bucky wasn’t too worried. He could see the wonder and the happiness spreading through the Omega’s entire being. “Oh God, Bucky,” Tony mumbled, sounding absolutely astonished.

“I wanted to ask you to be with me, forever. As partners, as husbands, as _mates_. Because you make me so happy, and I know you’re not perfect - neither am I - but you’re perfect for me. And I know that sounds so incredibly cliched, but it’s true.” The starts he’d made on the perfect proposal had fled his mind completely. He’d wanted it to be honest, and elaborate, and unique.

One out of three wasn’t bad, especially since the honesty was the most important part.

“Of course, yes. Always yes,” Tony told him, voice trembling as he dropped himself out of his chair and into Bucky’s lap. He wound his arms around the Alpha’s neck, Bucky instantly wrapping his own arms around Tony’s waist. “Of course.”

Then they were both laughing, and crying a little, but Bucky didn’t care. They might’ve even taken a few steps further than he’d thought when planning all of this, but the fact that Tony had said yes, wanted him as well, was all that mattered to him in that very moment. The rest, they could figure out later.

He could taste their tears when he kissed his Tony, his intended mate, _his_. “I’ll propose to you better. I had half of my speech planned, and Pepper is gonna kill me when she finds out she’s done all this work only for me to propose already,” he laughed. “There was a _plan_.”

“She knows plans don’t often last when I’m involved,” Tony assured him, laughing as well. “I don’t think she’ll care all that much as long as we’re happy.”

“I am. So, _so_ happy,” Bucky confessed, though he didn’t think it would come as a surprise.

“Yeah.” Tony sounded choked up still. “I am, too.”

Sitting on the floor in their living room, Tony in his lap and hugging each other tightly, Bucky was quite sure everything would work out one way or another. They had an entire future to look forward to, after all. “We’re getting _mated_!” he couldn’t resist exclaiming, almost unable to believe it after all of his nervousness and worries and uncertainty.

“Yeah, sweetheart.” Their smiles at each other were so sappy, Bucky was glad no one was there to witness it. “We’re getting mated.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Also, feel free to come say 'hi' on my [Tumblr](https://eirlyssa.tumblr.com/).


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